Moving In Soon

I will be moving in to my new apartment in downtown San Francisco either today after work or tomorrow morning. I'll be sure to post some pictures really soon!

First Commute

I will be living in downtown San Francisco this summer in an apartment with Kate. Google is in Mountain View, which is about an hour's drive away. Therefore, I must commute.

Commuting to Google is easy and comfortable, thanks to the Google shuttles. There are pickup stops all around the San Francisco Bay Area, including in downtown.

The coolest part of the Google shuttles is that they have Wifi access. In fact, I'm writing this blog post from the shuttle, on my way to my first day of work!

Looks like we're arriving, see ya later!

The Big Sur

After staying the night in Carmel, California, we drove a little further south along the Pacific coast to go see the Big Sur. The Big Sur is the section of coastline with a winding highway precariously perched on the cliff face. This section of highway has been used as a setting for many Hollywood car chases.

Here is a photo that I took of the highway. Behind the sign you can see the highway snaking back and forth. You can also see the highway winding back and forth in the far distance.

Driving this highway even at a slow pace was sometimes quite scary. In some spots there is a sheer drop hundreds of feet down to the Pacific ocean right next to the roadway, without any guardrails.  Here's me standing too close to the edge.  Don't jump!  

Here's a view of a secluded beach far below.

There is a famous arch bridge in Big Sur, called Bixby Creek Bridge. It's quite a feat of engineering. Someone is going to dig this thing up in four thousand years and wonder how we managed to build such a thing.

The coast is inhabited by many different sorts of birds, including our friends the seagulls. I snapped this picture of two of them in flight.

A couple more pics of the coastline.

Pacific Coast

I just got back to San Francisco after a two-day journey down the Pacific coast with mom and Mike. We started yesterday in San Mateo, and traveled south along highway 1, which hugs the coast. Our first stop was Pigeon Point, which has a lighthouse and some grass.

The coast is covered in grasses and flowers, and there are almost no trees.

A couple miles further south, we came across a beach where several dozen people were kite surfing. It was a very windy day, and some of the kite surfers were getting big air.

Then I had some fresh cherries for lunch.

Most of the coast that we saw was rocky cliffs and hills covered in short grasses and bushes.

We arrived in Carmel, California after an afternoon of driving. We had dinner at a restaurant owned by Clint Eastwood. Some old guy was trying to pick up my mom. The old guy was not Clint Eastwood, so he did not succeed.

Windows XP Hill

Here's a picture that I took from the car in the Napa Valley. Look familiar?

I took the picture because I thought it looked just like the hill from the default wallpaper in Windows XP.

I did a bit more research about the default wallpaper from Windows XP. The image is called Bliss and it turns out that it was also taken in the Napa valley! In fact, Bliss was shot only six miles from the very spot where I took my photo. What a coincidence!

Napa Valley (Wine Country)

Today we took a drive through the Napa Valley, in the heart of wine country. This is the region that is responsible for the California wines that are enjoyed around the world. Here's some pics from the winery.

After wandering around the winery a little bit, mom and I snuck out into the vineyard itself to get a closer look at the grapes.

These are wee grapes. They're not fully grown yet.

Here is a yummy cake from the deli at the winery. I must have this cake.

China Town and Pier 39

Yesterday we headed back to the city of San Francisco itself to do some exploring. The main two objectives were to meet the girl whose apartment I will be subletting, and to explore Chinatown.

I met the girl that I will be subletting from, and also had a chance to have my first look at the apartment. It's a studio apartment with a separate kitchen and dining area. There is a big bay window facing south, which lets in a lot of sunlight. The bed is a queen size bed, and there's a ton of closet space. The apartment is at the back of the building, which means that it's quiet and private. However, there is not much of a view. All we can see out the window is the walls of other buildings.

I'll move in to the apartment on Friday, May 8th. Kate will arrive in San Francisco on May 11th, and will live with me there. It's going to be a blast! I will put up some pictures of the place once I get moved in.

The next stop was Pier 39. Pier 39 is a tourist trap on the waterfront, facing Alcatraz island. There were a whole bunch of sea lions camped out on the docks.

We had lunch at a kickass sandwich shop. I forgot to take a picture of my club sandwich on foccacia bread before eating it. However, I give you my assurances that it was quite yummy. Here is the plate that it came on.

I took a picture of Alcatraz from Pier 39. I will post some more pictures of Alcatraz after I go to Alcatraz and take the famous tour.

We then circled around to Chinatown. Here's me at the famous gate to Chinatown. If you look closely, you can see a real live Asian person standing behind me. Neat, huh? :-)

Here is another street in Chinatown.

Last but not least, here is a funny sign. It says "Use Door to the Left" and has an arrow pointing right.